Story from Saleh INUWA, Kano
Snakes and other reptiles are considered to be dangerous to human beings, but in Machina Emirate, Yobe State; they are revered like kings. It is believed that royal blood runs in their veins. Sources state that they most times pay homage to Mai Machinama palace where their ancestors were born together with their ancestral kings as twins.
According to history, a queen gave birth to twins in the palace, a human being and a snake. Being a snake, one of them could not stay long with their mother thus the snake found its way into the way behind the king’s palace, it is said that its descendants still enjoy all the privileges that come with royalty.
It is also believed that, just like the Machina Emirate, it was alleged that the forebear of the snake procreated kings, queens and princesses that were of equal status with their relatives in the kingdom and investigations show that it is only in Yobe State that this has happened.
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Corroborating the story to whoever visits the palace, the Emir of Machina, His Royal Highness, Dr Bashir Albishir Bukar (OON), said the snake started his generations like regular human immediately it went into the rocks. Since then their lineage has continued, just like human beings, the present Emir is the 77th Mai Machina so they must be one snake that has attained the same position in their kingdom.
Emir Bukar revealed that during his father’s installation as Emir many snakes visited the palace to celebrate with them. They gathered at the gate of the palace in large numbers to celebrate with the new emir without harming anybody. He recalled a special incident the snakes had with the press that came to the palace, out of curiosity some of the journalists attempted to take pictures of the snakes, but immediately they fixed their cameras on them the snakes disappeared out of sight.
The Emir added that on how they relate with the snakes, they occasionally come together as a family to the palace and share moments of joy or sorrow with the Emir. When he was turbaned some old and young snakes attended the ceremony at the palace, whenever any of his wives deliver, the snakes will come to the palace for the naming ceremony and when he married his younger wife a snake came to the palace and spent a week. In the morning it will come out and spread itself on the wall, see as I am sitting, some snakes are curled on the carpets in front of me and later they will disappear.
Also, there was a truck driver from another town who came to Machina to drive my father’s truck. He came with his wife one evening and a snake came into the house and the woman who is not from Machina shouted but my wives told them not to bother. You know during the onset of the rainy season also termites will come out in mass with grains and throw them all over the place and they won’t be any provocation between the snakes and the termites, the Emir told some local and foreign media.
